Hull Scores 700th Regular-Season Goal

Published 7:00 pm, Sunday, February 9, 2003

Brett Hull became the sixth NHL player to score 700 regular-season goals when he beat San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov with a wrist shot in the second period Monday night.

"It's a great feeling," Hull said. "And I'm proud to do it in this jersey."

Only Wayne Gretzky scored 700 goals faster than Hull, who hit the mark in his 1,157th game. Gretzky, who finished with 894 goals, scored 700 in 886 games.

Gordie Howe (801), Marcel Dionne (731), Phil Esposito (717) and Mike Gartner (708) are the only other players to accomplish the feat.

Hull didn't score in his previous seven games after he got No. 699 on Jan. 22 in Edmonton.

"You think for a guy with a lot of goals that if you go into a little bit of a slump that it doesn't really affect you, but I think it got to me and I was trying a little bit of everything," Hull said. "I had so many great chances and so many great passes from people, and one finally went in."

The milestone goal was a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle, after a cross-ice pass from Pavel Datsyuk.

"It's just a great pass from Pavel and I just snuck it by him five-hole," Hull said.

Hull's father, Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, scored 610 goals in 1,063 games that spanned 16 NHL seasons. Brett Hull passed his father on the career list with his first goal of the 2000-01 season _ his final one in Dallas.

He began his career with Calgary and scored 26 goals with the Flames before being traded to St. Louis during the 1987-88 season.

It was with the Blues that Hull became "The Golden Brett" a takeoff of his father's nickname "The Golden Jet," stemming from their blond hair.

In 10-plus seasons in St. Louis, the 38-year-old Hull scored 527 goals, including 72 in 1989-90, 86 the following season _ a record for a right wing _ and 70 in the next. He surpassed the 50-goal mark in each of the next two seasons.

Following a 27-goal campaign in 1997-98, Hull signed as a free agent with Dallas. He scored 95 goals in three seasons with the Stars, including 32 in 1998-99. He added eight goals in the playoffs and scored the heavily disputed Stanley Cup-clinching goal in triple overtime in Game 6 of the finals in Buffalo.

Hull signed with the Red Wings before last season and scored 30 goals, helping Detroit to another Stanley Cup title. He has 21 goals this season, and has reached 20 in each of his 16 NHL seasons.

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If he scores 14 more goals this season, an option in his contract will keep him in Detroit for another year. If Hull doesn't reach 35 goals, he will be an unrestricted free agent.